Okay, so it snowed… I suppose that means it will be less difficult to stay inside and do paper work, but still… I had to venture out at least a little bit, and take some pictures. It’s interesting how similar fern fronds and mahonia leaves are, when they are dusted with snow. No wonder I love them both so much.

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About annamadeit

I was born and raised in Sweden, By now, I have lived almost as long in the United States. The path I’ve taken has been long and varied, and has given me a philosophical approach to life. I may joke that I’m a sybarite, but the truth is, I find joy and luxury in life’s simple things as well.
My outlook on life has roots in a culture rich in history and tradition, and I care a great deal about environmental stewardship. Aesthetically, while drawn to the visually clean, functional practicality and sustainable solutions that are the hallmarks of modern Scandinavia, I also have a deep appreciation for the raw, the weathered, and the worn - materials that tell a story. To me, contrast, counterpoint, and diversity are what makes life interesting and engaging.
Color has always informed everything I do. I’m a functional tetrachromat, and a hopeless plantoholic. I was originally trained as an architect working mostly on interiors, but soon ventured outside - into garden design. It’s that contrast thing again… An interior adrift from its exterior, is like a yin without a yang. My firm conviction that everything is connected gets me in trouble time and time again. The world is a big place, and full of marvelous distractions, and offers plentiful opportunities for inquiry and exploration.
I started writing to quell my constant queries, explore my discoveries, and nurture my curiosity. The Creative Flux was started in 2010, and became a catch-all for all kinds of intersecting interests. The start of Flutter & Hum at the end of 2013 marks my descent into plant nerd revelry. I occasionally contribute to other blogs, but those two are my main ones. For sure, topics are all over the map, but then again - so am I! Welcome to my blogs!

32 Responses to Snowy February garden photo-op

Yes – the one below the red berries is a Yucca gloriosa. There is an Agave ovatifolia in there somewhere, too – somewhat winter damaged, but still going strong. Just got transplanted yesterday – right in time for the freeze. Oh well, fingers crossed! 🙂

Oh, gloriosa. Yucca is a genus that should be more popular here than it is. Yucca elephantipes is ‘too’ popular. Other specie are native, many others are from arid regions, so need no watering here. The tropical specie are not so drought tolerant, but can be grown where they can get watered. None of them seem to want too much water.

This Yucca is in my hell strip, and seems to have suffered quite a bit of damage on the bottom leaves. The upper “crown” is beautifully intact, though. Maybe that’s standard procedure with a trunking type yucca?

Yes, they shed old foliage as new foliage develops above. Only Yucca mixtecana defoliates directly below viable green foliage, although other yuccas drop old leaves after many years. (For example, Yucca elephantipes holds long beards of old foliage, but the trunks below the beards are bare.) Terrestrial yuccas do it too, but the foliage tends to decay unseen below new foliage.

Well you could, but you might not want to. They look good together. I happen to take pups from Yucca recurvifolia only because I want to grow more separate plants, and because they make more pups than will fit into one spot. I mean that some pups get crowded out. If you see that the pups are crowded, you can take the bigger ones to let the smaller ones take over.

It will likely get crowded very soon. I didn’t know much about it when I planted it, and it doesn’t have a lot of room to spread. Over the years, this beginner has learned a lot from her ignorance (and lack of research).

Well, yuccas are mostly easy, and can be too easy if you ever need to get rid of them. Some do not want to die! If it is crowded where it is, you might want to move it before it gets too settled in, especially if it is crowded near a walkway or where people are likely to bump into it. As you know, the leaf tips are not friendly.

I don’t have anywhere else to put it that has enough light. And, you know, this is going to sound terrible – but I actually LIKE having a few unfriendly plants along our sidewalk. Not necessarily to hurt people, but to enforce the boundary. We’ve had several things disappear in the night. After that I started with the spikies… Grrr! Mind you, I also love the way they look – so architectural! Fabulous texture!

These are beautiful! It snowed in Bend, too, but the garden in our rental is empty, so I will have to hunt harder for photo ops. Busy planning a garden so we can fill the empty raised beds – it will be a challenge, as I guess last frost dates are meaningless here!

Indeed it is. I think your idea of cooler weather would land around the max point of my comfort level… (I’m such a heat wimp!) I think everything made it through out there – right now the sun is shining, and most of the snow has melted. 🙂